I've received a couple of La Flor de Cuba Maduro Robusto from JFC Tobacco Corp, a company based in Puerto Rica that seems to be mostly producing flavored cigars and rolling paper to roll your own sticks (!). La Flor de Cuba is dubbed as a full-bodied, strong cigar, designed for the American smoker. Although I have never heard of the brand and I couldn't find much info online, according to JFC it recently celebrated its 40th anniversary.

Appearance : This is a good-looking robusto. Under the toothy maduro wrapper with thin but visible veins one can find a blend of five different tobaccos from Brazil and Nicaragua among other countries. My only reproach is that the band lacks personality, I have the impression that I've already seen something similar several times.

Construction : Both samples behaved very well in a calm environment. The burn line was more than satisfying and the draw, that some people may find too open, was just as good.

Flavor : Unlit, the cigar smells of cedar (it was stored in a cedar sleeve), there's also some delicious sourness near the foot. The generous pre-draw is spicy. I proceed to toast the foot and bam! Indeed, this cigar is quite powerful! I wouldn't recommend smoking it on an empty stomach, unless you like taking chances. Even after a spicy Thai meal, the 1st third pepper is more than perceptible, pleasantly complementing the subtle sweetness. This sweetness is quite different from what I am used to encounter in some maduros, it's really delicate and not sugary at all. In the second third, La Flor de Cuba settles down in terms of spice but not in terms of power. It's full-bodied and the main flavors are leather and, as we approach the end, oak.

Value : I don't have the exact price for this line, but from what I understand they can be bought at $100 per box (on the other hand, I don't know how many cigars there are in such a box - 25, 24, 20?). In any case, at ~$5 per stick that's a pretty solid value if you enjoy strong maduro cigars.

Overall Rating : I would like to thank Paola for sending these cigars to me. This is the first time I had a cigar rolled in Puerto Rico and it was a pretty good experience. I don't know much about La Flor de Cuba's availability across B&Ms, but do not hesitate to pick up a couple if this flavor profile sounds like your cup of tea.

This post was written by Denis aka Inspector, who founded CigarInspector.com back in 2007. Click here for his latest articles and more information.